No viewings on our house - would these things put you off?

[Wallawallawallaby1]

We've had no interest at all...is it the market or is our house just priced too high? We're in the South West (Salisbury), and I'm told by the EA the house is a tricky one to value. It's a 5 bed detached Edwardian house over 3 floors. We bought it for £675k just over three years ago, and it's on for £720k. Interestingly next door is on for £750k, and they've had little interest as well. Identical houses in build, but they have an added bathroom and a much larger garden (although their house does require a fair bit of modernisation).

I'll list a couple of the negatives - could you tell me if the following would put you off viewing?

1. 5 beds but only one bathroom (and a downstairs cloakroom). The rooms are large so there's plenty of space for an ensuite (or two), but my DH doesn't want to do it. I was hoping though that potential buyers would realise this opportunity. Would the 1 main bathroom put you off?

1. Very small garden. Large-ish patio that extends round the house, but grass space quite small. We have a sofa set and a small climbing frame on the grass, with a massive trampoline on the patio, so it's perfectly functional...just small.

1. No garage, and on-street parking (but very quiet road, so no issues with parking)

The positives though: very grand house, massive amounts of curb-appeal, large rooms with high ceilings, close to good schools, 10 minute walk into town.

I desperately want to move as I need more downstairs living space. I could also really do with another bathroom (DH just hates the idea of any work being done in the house).

Please help!

Thank you

It’s extremely easy to find, as OP has been 100% honest.

I think your house is beautiful inside OP, and I am hyper critical generally. Your neighbour’s looks tired and dated by comparison.

For me personally, I love a garden and have to say the one bathroom would be an issue but I can see your neighbour’s house has one on the top floor and a shower room first floor. So it’s do-able, just needs to be reflected in price.

Yes it's a fixable problem but it's hassle and unknown costs, which is presumably why OPs husband isn't interested in them putting an extra bathroom or en suite in. This house is competing with all the other 4/5 bed houses in the area that DO already have 2 bathrooms and it seems less hassle to redecorate somewhere a bit dated compared to putting in a new bathroom.

The lack of garage or drive could be a problem for some but it depends on the road and how easy it is to park there. Also, some people will compromise on this to live in a period house close to a town or city centre and walking distance to a train station. Few houses have everything we want.

If the parking is genuinely not an issue that shouldn't be putting people off but I doubt they believe it. It would be a no for me if there was no off-street parking.

The bathroom is less of an issue as you can always put one in, and it does at least have two loos. Could the downstairs cloakroom be converted easily by eg adding a shower? If so, say so.

Any house will sell for the right price so if there are no viewings, it's too expensive. There's an easy solution OP. Salisbury is a nice place, so people want to live there, but not at any price.

Any major work needed would be a complete no at the moment because it's s nightmare getting reliable tradesmen and massively expensive in comparison to even two/three years ago.
No one is going to want a five bedroom with only one bathroom and with a house that size I'd want a significantly sized garden. Ultimitely though, if the price is right, it will sell.

Yes. All of those things would put me off.

If I was in the market for 5 bedrooms that means I’d want at least 3 full bathrooms and a downstairs loo.

We’re only a family of 4 and we also would really struggle with no garage.

I think the market is slower this year, especially for the bigger houses which can take a bit longer to sell. I’m only up the road in Winchester and noticed the big ones near us haven’t been immediately snapped up like before.

Saying that like others firstly it would be the garden for me. I don’t need a field but a good sized natural outdoor space would be a must. Your neighbour’s house can easily be modernised, but you can’t do anything with a tiny garden with no room for a substantial shed (as no garage). This coupled with the lack of bathrooms for a 5 bed house would put me off viewing, although your house does look beautiful. I’m in a 5 bed and we have 3 bathrooms and a downstairs loo which seemed fairly common when we were searching for a larger house. Parking situation wouldn’t be an issue necessarily as you say on street parking is easy, although my DH would probably feel very differently.

So maybe lowering the price would help get a few more people in? Especially as house prices have stagnated somewhat in the last three years since the post pandemic peak. Problem is people can easily see what you paid for it online these days. Good luck though, and if you’re not in a hurry, it might just be a case of waiting for the right buyer in a slower market.

Any major work needed would be a complete no at the moment because it's s nightmare getting reliable tradesmen and massively expensive in comparison to even two/three years ago

I think they are all in my road and close by! Two houses are having renovations in my road at the moment - as is the house behind our garden!

And two houses have just sold so I assume they will be more or less knocked down and rebuilt in the next few years like the other ones down the road have.

A bathroom isn't very complex though, depending on the layout. It can be fairly straight-forward but that's something the estate agent has to know about so they can do their job and sell the house!

I would need an ensuite and/or a toilet on the top floor.

I'd want parking.

If it's near good green space in a nice area I might be able to live with the tiny garden.

One bathroom for 5 bedrooms is a massive issue. People just don’t live like this nowadays. No bathroom at all for the occupants of the 2nd floor would be a complete deal breaker. I would expect at least 3 bathrooms with a 5 bed.

The kitchen is very small too.

I think you’d need to significantly reduce the price as buyers will need to spend a lot on remodelling.

The market is not buoyant at the moment in most places. In that price range, people are going to have expectations for a bigger kitchen and more downstairs living space, and at least one other bathroom. So you either drop the price significantly or stay put for now.

Or you spend money on the house and make it want you want.

You could extend the kitchen across and knock into the dining room, and easily put in a large ensuite using the space behind the smaller window in the main bedroom, especially if the joists run front to back. But that is £ and hassle.

Moving is hassle though, and you could end up losing a significant amount of money, especially with stamp duty.

I don't have the equity to fit a bathroom.

We have a very large budget as FTBs but very little cash to do works!

Also, getting building works done on a narrow street with somewhat problematic parking could potentially be a ballache. Getting builders to turn up when they know they can park within eyesight of the job is hard enough work as it is, without having to deal with talking them into possibly parking down the road, round the corner, etc.

Fair point, I probably wasn't zoomed in enough! I guess it depends just how much quieter OP's house round the corner actually is.

what has your agent said?

after 6 weeks you need to reduce enough to get people through the door. And then consider taking it off the market until the autumn as it will be stale. People usually look at what’s been added in the last three days unless relocating to an area

Just found the details and it's lovely. It can only be the price OP. Lower the price or do an open day. One of the houses in my road had one last weekend and there's a sold sign outside now. And that's with another house in the road being on the market too.

Found your listing and I actually like the garden! I wouldn’t necessarily class it as small either. Definitely add an en-suite and can the front of the home not be converted to a driveway? (I live abroad so no idea on UK rules re adding driveway?!)

i’m not clear why the price had increased by £100k in 3 years? If potential buyers go to Zoopla to check the previous sale price they may be thinking the same!

Beyond that, me and DH are planning to move soon and the non-negotiables for us are: must have a garage and off-street parking and must have 2 bathrooms. We’re completely open on everything else, so they would presumably be barriers for others too.

I think you've learned to live with things that would be an issue to most people, so have minimised their importance.

It's more like a 3 bed house with an attic conversion. There's no garage, for storage or a car and no driveway either. That's a no from me already. And from DH. You can decorate as beautifully as you like but you can never change the size of the little garden. Whereas the "ugly' house next door has much more space, and decorating it is the easy part.

If you need a home with 5 bedrooms, the actual living space on the ground floor is small for the number of people that will be using it.

What else can you buy for the same asking price, within a mile or so? Have a look at what's available and think "would I pick that or would I pick mine?"

The parking would put me off, I wouldn’t even consider a house with no off street parking.

Weird that your DH can’t stand the idea of any work being done in the house to add a bathroom…

… but the cost and upheaval of moving is ok!

I don't know your specific area, but in the areas I know it would be an unusual house that is worth more today than three years ago. 3 years ago was the Covid bump and I would expect a value to have dropped since then unless significant changes had been made to the property.
That said, I wouldn't touch a property of that size and value but without parking. Total deal breaker for me.

We have electric cars so won’t entertain anything without proper off street parking that you can put a charger in on easily.

I also wouldn’t like that many bedrooms
vs living space, I prefer more reception space and bathrooms. I would expect at least 2 showers in a 5 bed.

I’m less bothered about big gardens as have a big one now and it’s a pain. But it’s a tricky market so buyers are picky!

I was just having another look on Area360 and I noticed that they have you listed in a 10 out of 10 crime area with 223 crimes per 1000 people, whereas the homes just inside the ring road are in a 2 out of 10 crime area with 30 crimes per 1000 people. I didn't expect that. Is there something in your locale that is causing this issue? Is the data right? Is it something you can challenge?

When I use Area360 on RM I always immediately discount anything with a flood risk (you are fine), anything with loud noise and anything with 9 or 10 out 10 crime levels.

For me the thing that would put me off considering it is the two loft bedrooms with no bathroom on that level, and no off street parking. I wouldn't view at that price based on these two things.

I think the problem is actually three small receptions (including the kitchen) AND a small garden, on a 5 bed house. So no chance of expanding living area to accommodate 5+ people which the bedrooms do work for.

I haven't looked at the listing so don't know how it's styled/what rooms you have kids in, but would probably look at removing the trampoline, styling bed3 as an office and getting a quote to convert bed 4 to a bathroom and make the hall/lounge/dining open plan. don't do it, just get a quote.

Then have a chat to your EA and see whether it might work better marketed to older families with teens off to uni or moved out - a three bed two bath with nice wfh space and a big lounge diner might sell better - if you don't want to do the work then at least if you know it can be done for £12k (or whatever) it opens up the market to a new audience who wants space for visitors but doesn't need permanent kid space any longer. Often people over estimate the cost of simple changes so having the quote ready might help sell to a semi-empty-nester?

3 years ago the market was at its peak in the SW, I think if you paid 675 then I would expect it to be get 595 tops now.